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Juan and Nina attended the Mohave County Sheriff's Office dinner out in Lake Havasu City where the Grants and Trails team was recognized for their work connecting with and supporting the Lake Havasu community! Watch this video to learn more about how ASPT grants have made an impact on Colorado River law enforcement and safety: https://vimeo.com/1140083417?fl=pl&fe=sh

Congrats, team!

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Happy Employee Appreciation Day, ASPT team!

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Happy Employee Appreciation Day, ASPT team!

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Happy Employee Appreciation Day, team! Enjoy this fun short video of highlights from Ranger Games at our Employee Conference in October. It was competitive, chaotic, and a lot of FUN! 😁

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Ranger Exchange at Dead Horse Ranch - April 24-26

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Ranger Exchange at Dead Horse Ranch - April 24-26

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I invite all rangers that want to help us with our annual birding festival on April 24-26 to please reach out for a ranger exchange for even one day if it's possible. Always check with your park managers first, then reach out. I'm hoping to get as many rangers as possible so we can engage with the public and get our birding on. Bird gurus, please reach out. I will make another announcement as it gets closer.

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February 16, 2026, PM Deb Reinert and PR Moss Lynn were honored to represent ASPT at the America Arizona 250 in Parker. We visited with folks and handed out information, other businesses and vendors were present.

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Park Ranger Moss Lynn will be conducting a Ranger led Sunset Hike Feb. 14, 2026 at Buckskin Mountain on the Anniversary of Arizona 250 with a great presentation on the Mountain top with chocolate to end the day.

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On Feb. 10, 2026 WRM Dan Roddy, PM Deb Reinert and PM Ron Gayman shared their knowledge on Arizona 250 at Our Lady of The Lake to 33 students which are part of a Patriotic Club. Their theme is "America The Beautiful" We shared a 1/2 hour presentation on the History and preservation of our Parks.

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Hello Team ASPT!

All ASPT staff are invited and encouraged to sign up for a Ranger Exchange!

https://sites.google.com/azstateparks.gov/ranger-exchange-program/home

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SECC Charity Hike

We're excited to team up again with ADOT to host a two-mile charity hike in four of our state parks for state employees, family and friends on March 28! Registration closes March 24, so register today! 👇

More Information about the Charity Hike

📍Host parks include:

- Cattail Cove State Park

- Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area

- Oracle State Park

- Rockin' River Ranch State Park

Registration fees are $25 per adult; $15 kids ages 7-17 and free for kids age 6 and under. Registration includes breakfast and a commemorative gift.

Saturday, March 28, 2025

8:30 a.m. check-in

9:30 a.m. start time

Proceeds benefit St. Mary's Food Bank and Wild at Heart Rescue.

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Congratulations to the latest class of Certified Interpretive Guides who just completed training at Kartchner Caverns last week, and to trainers Sinda Sutton, Ethan Finch, and Dylan Bastian! These rangers worked hard on a 5-day intensive, nationally-recognized training course. We also had the pleasure of including three National Park Service rangers in the class. Sinda said, "We're proud of the collaboration, inclusion, and teamwork shown by everyone throughout the week." Great job, all!

Slide Rock: Sarah Ashey, Max Hampel, & Anna Shockley
Catalina: Joe Carlson
Kartchner: Jaye Millett, Charles King, Chuck Lassiter
Saguaro National Park: Nikolai Ryan, Dalton Carper, Adrian Calabaza

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Heritage Tree at Slide Rock State Park granted Witness Tree status

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Heritage Tree at Slide Rock State Park granted Witness Tree status

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Congratulations to Park Manager Sam Axford on your nomination of the Heritage Tree at Slide Rock State Park achieving Witness Tree and Heritage Tree status in the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management's Arizona Magnificant Tree Program! See this great write-up about the Arkansas Black Apple tree and the program's annual report at bit.ly/49fOpXr.

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George Graham, assistant park manager; Athena Sparks, southern regional manager; Erik Donkersley, park ranger; Bob Broscheid, executive director; and Michelle Thompson, deputy assistant director.

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Congrats, Catalina Nature Outreach Program!

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Congrats, Catalina Nature Outreach Program!

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If you were at the All Employee Conference, you heard George Graham, assistant park manager at Catalina State Park, share about the outreach program he launched to bring reptile and Sonoran Desert education to Title I schools and Juvenile Detention Centers. This inspirational program just received recognition from the Governor's Office with a certificate of recognition at the Excellence in Government Awards under the Improving Education category. Congratulations to George and the Catalina team on the success of this program, and thank you for making an impact on the community!

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Join Brittany for a Legislative Lunch and Learn, Friday, December 5 · 12:00 – 1:00pm.  It will be a discussion of all things legislative. She will go through the AZ legislative process and answer any questions you may have and where to find information.

If you are interested - Google Meet joining info - Video call link: https://meet.google.com/dsa-sxix-gor

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This year's holiday sale will be 12/5 thru 12/18 to catch any last minute shoppers at the Central Office holiday party-- 20% off everything except for the snacks and drinks by the front door. The sale extends out to the parks as well (except for partner parks and concessionaires).

If you want to rummage through the stockroom, just let us know.

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Fright Night in Havasu - Cattail SHout-Out

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Fright Night in Havasu - Cattail SHout-Out

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Good morning Debbie, Pete and Daniel,

Lake Havasu's main street  "Fright Night" was a huge success.  AZ State Parks personnel handed out more than 3,000 pieces of candy while Rocky Ringtail entertained the masses.  Representing  Cattail were Wyatt Leader, Tekla Hamilton, Adam Wiersma, John Wilkening, Savannah Burns, Ron Gayman and Sam Fortner. Special shout out to Buckskin representative Raejean Jordan  and Lake Havasu's  Lindsey Collis for their participation and helping to make the evening truly memorable.  Special thanks to Dan Roddy for his support and helping to make this happen as the Cattail Crew are already looking forward to next year's event.

A great time was had by all.

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A huge thank you to Stellar Jay @ Rockin River Ranch for your incredible dedication and hard work getting the White Cliffs Trail reopened after the recent flooding! Your tireless effort and commitment to making sure our visitors can safely enjoy the trail again do not go unnoticed.

Because of your determination our visitors can once again experience one of our most beautiful spots. We appreciate you and all that you do!

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With just over a week to go, I wanted to provide a shout-out to all the dedicated ASPT people working behind the scenes to create a great experience for us all.

See you there!

Dan R.

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Thank you, park rangers, for all the work that you do! It's an honor to celebrate you on this commemorative day each year!

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Thanks to Linda, Corvé, Mickey, Nina, Jeff, Katharine and all of our partners. We are learning together as we work to provide our vendor with what is needed for the Mobile Location Data Project. Super excited to use this new (to us) technology to learn more about trail use in state!

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KNTR - Shout Out to Cattail Cove & Staff

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KNTR - Shout Out to Cattail Cove & Staff

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I was a guest yesterday for the Speak Out radio program on KNTR.  During the show, a caller named Wayne made a point to talk about how amazing his recent stay at Cattail Cove State Park made him feel.

In particular, he called out Park Rangers Wyatt, John and Erin.  Great job one and all.  It just goes to show you never know who is watching!  The show link is here:

https://kntrtalk.com/speak-out/#:~:text=JULY%201%20%E2%80%93%20AZ%20STATE%20PARKS%20%26%20TRAILS%20WESTERN%20REGION%20MANAGER%20DAN%20RODDY%20%7C%20ATTORNEY%20GENERAL%20CANDIDATE%20RODNEY%20GLASSMAN%20(2025%2D07%2D01)

Keep up the great work!

--Dan Roddy

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Always appreciate the kindness of co-workers. Thank you all. You make this the agency I want to be/stay at! --Dawn Collins

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Congratulations Certified Interpretive Guides!

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Congratulations Certified Interpretive Guides!

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Proud to announce that ten AZ State Parks & Trails staff members have recently graduated from the 2025 Tonto Natural Bridge CIG class and received the title of Certified Interpretive Guide. Congrats to you all on your achievement!

Fort Verde/ Rockin' River: Tom Lenigan

Deadhorse Ranch: Ivan Sheffer

Cattail Cove: Adam Wiersma

Tonto Natural Bridge: Kristofer Stellhorn

Lake Havasu State Park: Lindsey Collis

Lost Dutchman: Meagan Mastriani

Picacho Peak: Bailey Kerr

Fool Hollow Lake: Brennan Bindley

Central Office: Jannika Pitner

Oracle State Park: Malana Starr

We'd also like to give a special thanks to Dylan Bastian at Red Rock State Park for helping coordinate and instruct the class!

--Ethan Finch & Sinda Sutton

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Just sharing a little video we put together to celebrate our team on State Employee Recognition Day earlier this month! 🥳

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Congratulations to the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park team for their INCREDIBLE work preserving Arizona History. The team was awarded a Governor's Heritage Preservation Honor Award during a conference put on by our SHPO and Preserve Arizona Foundation! Woohoo team! Much deserved!

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This is the last week we will use YES to enter our ETE.

While you are entering your time please review your personal information in YES and make any necessary updates by Friday, May 23, 2025.

Please join our Payroll Manager, Chris Casper, on Wednesday, May 21 at 10am to show you a few tips on how to navigate the new AZ360 and to answer any question you have.

For your advance awareness, the latest updates to the self-learning materials are available. They will be posted with our growing inventory of employee resources on the Employee Resources tab of the AZ360 website.

· Approving or Rejecting a Timesheet - Manager

· Approving or Rejecting a Leave Request - Manager

· Signing In and Out of AZ360 (Revised 5/12/2025)

·       Using the Paycheck Calculator - Employees

·       View and Create Tax Forms - Employees

·       View and Manage Employee Profile Information - Employees

·       View Leave Balances_Usage - Employees

·       View Pay Slips, Summary and History - Employees

Please begin accessing and reviewing the first set of employee self-learning materials on the AZ360 Employee Training webpage. Quick Reference Guides (QRG) for all employees provide clear, step-by-step instructions in one or more functions employees will perform in AZ360, such as the completion of a timesheet or a change in home address. It can be used as a self-learning tool, a quick refresher, or as a checklist when completing these activities in AZ360.

View a short video on how to submit a timesheet using AZ360 Employee Self Service. More training videos are planned and under development. They will be posted on the Training Videos tab of the Employees/Retirees/Managers Resources website when available.

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2025 Artist in Residence Applications are NOW OPEN!

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2025 Artist in Residence Applications are NOW OPEN!

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Spread the word that the 2025 Artist in Residence program applications are now open! 🥳 This year's artist will reside at Patagonia Lake State Park for up to three weeks. Arizona residents 18 years and older are welcome to apply through May 6 at https://azarts.smapply.io/prog/arizona_state_parks_artist_residency_program_/

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AZ State Parks and the Arizona Arts Commission Give Artists Creative Opportunities!

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One park's junk is another park's project!

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Summer is fast approaching, so we're all preparing for that seasonal shift from busy to slow or slow to busy! For any projects that need buttoned up before you enter your busy season, or projects you will start now that the busy season is over, the boneyard has you covered!

Access it through Summit under operations, and if something catches your eye, email the boneyard manager for that park and schedule a pickup for that item!

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ADOT and Arizona State Parks and Trails invite state employees, family and friends to experience one of three of the amazing parks in our home state at a 2-mile Charity Hike on Saturday, March 29.

Proceeds benefit the St. Mary's Food Bank and Wild at Heart. Registration fees are $25 per adult; $15 for kids ages 7 to 17; and free for kids ages 6 and under and include a commemorative water bottle and hot dog lunch. The check-in is at 8 a.m. and the start time is at 9 a.m.

The hikes will be at Oracle State Park, Rockin' River Ranch State Park, and Lake Havasu State Park. If you're not working or participating in a ranger exchange and would to attend, please register below:

Lake Havasu State Park

Oracle State Park

Rockin' River Ranch State Park

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Congratulations to our 2025 Environmental Excellence Award winners!

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Congratulations to our 2025 Environmental Excellence Award winners!

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On Saturday, March 8, 2025 Arizona State Parks and Trails earned two top awards at the 43rd Environmental Excellence Awards from Arizona Forward, presented by SRP. The Kids on the Colorado River program received the Crescordia Award in the Environmental Education and Communication category, and the Artist in Residence program received the Award of Distinction in the Art in Public Places category. Congratulations, Team! Check out more photos from the awards ceremony.

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On Saturday, March 8, 2025 Arizona State Parks and Trails earned two top awards at the 43rd Environmental Excellence Awards from Arizona Forward, presented by SRP. The Kids on the Colorado River program received the Crescordia Award in the Environmental Education and Communication category, and the Artist in Residence program received the Award of Distinction in the Art in Public Places category.

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If anyone does water quality monitoring at your park can you email cballard@azstateparks.gov? I am interested in what you are testing for and if you are using a water quality meter what are you testing? pH, SpC, Temp, DO, etc.? Trying to gather an idea of how many parks are doing this.

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Sinda Sutton and I are proud to announce that TWELVE AZ State Parks & Trails rangers have recently graduated from the 2024 Kartchner Caverns CIG class and received the title of Certified Interpretive Guide. They learned all about the principles and techniques of interpretation over a challenging five days of classwork. Congrats to you all on your achievement!

Lake Havasu: Kyra Costar

Homolovi: Paul Tarr

Roper Lake: Tara Russell

Red Rock: Dylan Bastian

Fool Hollow Lake: Chloe Lauer

Kartchner Caverns: Karsen Gentry

Slide Rock: Cameron Taylor

Lyman Lake: Erin Logue

Lost Dutchman: Sam Neal

Alamo Lake: Oscar Sanchez

Tonto Natural Bridge: Alex Hanson

Oracle: Michael Bain

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Shoreline in front of cabins at Roper Lake (12/5/24).

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I wanted to give a special thanks to all of the staff that assisted in the efforts of the Roper Lake cattail cutting event that took place from 12/2 to 12/4. You are all rockstars, and did an amazing job!!!! If you missed out on the fun, stay tuned, as we are likely to have additional ranger exchange opportunities to continue tackling this huge job in the near future! Thank you from all the staff at Roper, and especially from myself.

-Fred Viste

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Join us for lint camps in 2025!

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2025 Trails Plan Development team ...they keep on giving!!

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2025 Trails Plan Development team ...they keep on giving!!

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I would like to express my thanks to the Grants and Trails team, and my own CRAM team member, Katharine Schinzel. We just had a meeting with the Trails Plan working group ( a hybrid meeting - with in person and virtual attendees). Without any one of them, the meeting wouldn't have worked - at least not as well!!!! With all of their combined efforts and skills, we had a productive, engaging conversation. Thanks to you all!

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Teleworking on November 5 - Election Day

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Teleworking on November 5 - Election Day

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Good morning!

The General Election will be held on Nov. 5. As always, state agencies are prepared to support the safe, secure and orderly administration of the election. As one of the largest employers in the downtown area, help us do our part to keep congestion low in an area that is already anticipating increased activity. On election day, we are encouraging employees who work at the central office to telework to reduce the number of personnel and traffic in the downtown area.

For employees, there are two ways the state supports your civic engagement through Civic Duty Leave. For those who are registered to vote, and with permission of your supervisor, you may be interested in serving as a poll worker at a voting location on Election Day. Likewise, for those who are qualified to cast a ballot, you may use Civic Duty Leave on Election Day to provide ample time to vote. For more information on either option, contact our agency’s HR staff. More information on Civic Duty Leave is available online from ADOA’s Human Resources Division.

If you have any questions about teleworking on Nov. 5, serving as a poll worker or using Civic Duty Leave to cast a ballot, please contact your supervisor or our HR team.

--
Bob Broscheid

Executive Director

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It was fantastic to spend a few minutes with Agency Historian Charles Eatherly and his daughter Karen when they swung by Lake Havasu State Park Saturday. The duo were visiting other area parks on Sunday.

Dan Roddy

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The folks at Discover the Region magazine was so impressed by their tour, they did a whole feature and a full page ad instead of just a blurb. Check out the article about Riordan Mansion at https://www.discovertheregion.com/

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Thank you for all your hard work improving Summit.

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Oracle has two big events we would like to ask for some help. 

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Oracle has two big events we would like to ask for some help. 

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October 4th, Artist in Residence Reception

October’s 26th, Historical Brewing company Event.

We need help with running the gatehouse, parking, and gift shop. We are looking for help from 3:30pm-9pm for both events.

I have listed this on the ranger exchange forms and if you are not interested please fill that out and let me know.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeFJ_CToMydn_nbvCBdrayfhBeNjqeC0l6qnpppHbmSqLSnRg/viewform?usp=sf_link

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HRIS to AZ360 Project - State Employee Leave Accrual

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HRIS to AZ360 Project - State Employee Leave Accrual

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Good Afternoon,

As your Agency Captain for the AZ360 Project Team, the Governor’s Office has asked me to make you aware of an important change in how employee leave accrual will be calculated beginning next May when the State of Arizona transitions from the current HRIS/Y.E.S. system to the modernized AZ360 platform.

As some of you may know, your current leave is calculated in a decimal format (for example 2.77 hours or 6.47 hours). When the State of Arizona transitions next spring from the current HRIS/Y.E.S. system to AZ360, leave rates will be calculated using an hours/minutes (HH:MM) format. So, in our example above, 2.77 hours decimally equates to 02:47, or 2 hours and 47 minutes.

No one will be negatively impacted by this change, and no one will accrue less leave than they currently do. In fact, in some cases you may earn a slight increase in leave time, at most 20-21 minutes a year. This is because, in situations where the fractional rate does not equal a whole minute, the accrual rate will be rounded up to the next whole minute so that employees are credited with more time and do not earn less pay as a result of this change. For example, the HRIS decimal format of 6.47 hours equates to 6 hours, 28.2 minutes. But rather than rounding down to 6 hours, 28 minutes, the system will round up to 6 hours, 29 minutes.

This topic will be addressed in self-guided learning materials that are made available to all employees prior to the launch of AZ360 in May 2025. For now, the project’s leadership and the Governor’s Office wanted to start making employees aware of some of the changes to come with the new platform. I will continue to keep you informed of developments.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the AZ360 project, please visit the project’s website at https://az360.az.gov/ or contact me directly.

Thank you.

Cora Winans

Human Resources Manager

Arizona State Parks & Trails

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I visited your wonderful park yesterday 7/28/2024. I was greeted by a wonderful lady named Laurel . She went above and beyond helping me get a campsite. You folks are lucky to have such a positive and dedicated employee.

It was a pleasure visiting Buckskin State Park.

Bob Mihailov

Prescott, AZ

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Please congratulate Neil on his new role leading the Office of Outdoor Recreation!

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Please congratulate Neil on his new role leading the Office of Outdoor Recreation!

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Hi, everyone.

I'm excited to announce that Arizona State Parks and Trails will be the official new home of the state's Office of Outdoor Recreation, which previously resided with the Arizona Office of Tourism. These offices promote outdoor recreation statewide, bolster economic development, promote health and wellness as part of being outdoors, ensure conservation and stewardship, educate and engage new visitors, and serve as the point of contact for stakeholders in the industry. So far, there are 16 states with official offices of outdoor recreation, and we will be next.

Congratulations to Neil Large, who has been promoted to lead this effort for our agency. Neil has been with ASPT on the marketing team since 2017 and currently leads our digital marketing efforts, including creating and managing website content, social media advertising, and writing the monthly newsletter. Neil is an avid outdoor recreationist and has encouraged his four daughters to enjoy many of the same outdoor activities he loves. Neil is going to be an amazing leader of this new program and will be an asset for us as we strive to create new partnerships and encourage more people to get outdoors.

The Office of Outdoor Recreation will be in the Communications, Research and Marketing team and Neil will continue his marketing duties while we build this program.

Please join me in congratulating Neil!

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Congrats to Lost Dutchman!

I just saw the AZ Central article reporting that Lost Dutchman State Park was listed as #7 on the Dyrt Top Campgrounds in the Mountain West.  One remark was, 'it's not just camping, it's an adventure."

Give my sincere congratulations to your whole team there and keep setting goals for the rest of us to strive to accomplish!

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Lake Havasu State Park Manager Peter Kessler

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Lake Havasu State Park Manager Peter Kessler

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It is with great pleasure that I announce that Peter Kessler has been promoted to the position of Park Manager at Lake Havasu State Park, effective July 6, 2024.  On a daily basis, Pete, who started with ASPT as a volunteer more than nine years ago, makes the park and those around him better.  I share the following from a recent summary describing him:

Peter has been with ASPT for more than nine years and currently serves as Park Assistant Manager at LHSP.

When asked what the ASPT Mission means to him, Pete replied, that it “ties in to our job everyday, safe park that meets the needs of the people in customer service and operationally.”

Prior to his career with ASPT, Pete owned a small business and excelled in Fleet Maintenance for a large international company.  When you have the opportunity, please join me in congratulating Pete Kessler on his promotion.

Best,

Dan Roddy

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I want to give a shout out to the Southern Region Construction Services team for their guidance and leadership during the Picket Post House Project at Boyce Thompson Arboretum in the last week of May. I am thankful for the opportunity to see the work that they do and it really emphasized just how important they are to each and every park in the agency. The huge accomplishment at Picket Post House is a testament to their teamwork, knowledge, experience, and ability to lead others who may or may not have CS experience. Their positive attitudes and good humor made the entire experience enjoyable and I felt like part of the team right from the start.

I hope you will all join in me in celebrating and uplifting Construction Services team members and be sure to thank them the next time they're working hard to improve your park!

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Ranger Exchange Opportunities at Slide Rock!! 

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Ranger Exchange Opportunities at Slide Rock!! 

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Slide Rock is reaching out for rangers to help on the summer weekends, 4th of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDuOzrV_AbhaRSF266nu7l6kkj2j4-wZhiw4Ht-T3SgbZgZg/viewform

Thank you!

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Thanks to Dan Roddy and the team at Lake Havasu for hosting the marketing team at the park so that we could attend the Desert Storm street fair on behalf of the agency. Your cabins are beautiful! We appreciate your support and generosity. A good time was had by all (I think!)

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Thanks to Trails Plan Development Team!!

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Thanks to Trails Plan Development Team!!

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Thanks to the Trails Plan Development Team (Katharine Schinzel, Mickey Rogers, Matt Eberhart, Alec Wilcox and Jeff Schmidt) we have launched the 2025 Trails Plan public survey! I can't say enough how lucky I am to work with all of you. Thanks for your efforts so far!

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Thanks Development Team - Phase One of Tombstone Courthouse Restoration Complete

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Thanks Development Team - Phase One of Tombstone Courthouse Restoration Complete

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Hello All,

I just want to send out a thanks to Construction Project Manager Tim Rastedt, Chief of Development Tom Kmetz and the rest of our Development Team for all of their hard work.  Their management and coordination allows our projects to come to full fruition.  This was a great opportunity to see our Capital Improvement Project funding put to good use.  Also thanks to our Director's Office, Fiscal Services, Trails and Grants and the State Historic Preservation Office for working in conjunction with Development for getting these types of projects funded and planned.  These types of projects take years of planning, which may include input from current and former Managers (Thanks Erika Way) and a whole lot of support from our supervisors (Thanks Athena Sparks and David Jordan).

Phase one of our Tombstone Courthouse restoration project has been completed.  This included replacing our roof, repairing our gutters, fixing our windows and a whole lot of paint!   We look forward to our future restoration projects.  -- Curtis Leslie, Park Manager, TOCO

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Thanks to you! Celebrating International Women's Day

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Thanks to you! Celebrating International Women's Day

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All of you hard working women who are rangers, park managers, assistant managers, volunteers, scientists, volunteer coordinators, interpreters, camp hosts, and all of the other things that you are and do on a daily basis....I celebrate you today (and every day!) Happy International Women's Day!!!!!

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Thanks to Matt Eberhart, who took the lead gathering donations to support the 2025 Trails Plan effort! Thanks to his wide ranging skills and abilities, we have collected $2,200 to provide incentives to members of the public who complete the 2025 Trails Plan survey! You ROCK Matt!

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January 15 , 2024 KACA Cave Unit Newsletter

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Thanks to Marketing & Communications team for their support at Indian Tribes and Nations Legislative Day!

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Thanks to Marketing & Communications team for their support at Indian Tribes and Nations Legislative Day!

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Thanks to the marketing team for making sure we had everything we needed to talk about all of the opportunities available at Arizona State Parks and Trails! It was a great day!

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Thanks, Katharine!

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Rangers have worked hard over an intensive 5 day training program to earn their nationally recognized Certification as Interpretive Guides. It's no easy feat; they all did our agency proud! Congratulations!

Catalina-      Isaiah Ortiz

Kartchner -  Patricia Fifield

Chelsea Ballard

Brody Zanca

Hailey Miloni

Riordan -      David Bernheim

Fool Hollow - Bill Kuiper

Picacho -       Noah Atterbury

--

Jackie Vallejos

Park Ranger III

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So this in the AOT newsletter- way to go people! - DR

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AOT Hosts International Press Trip

Last week, AOT hosted five journalists, plus our in-market representative, on a press trip throughout northern Arizona. The group started their tour with a trip to Prescott then on to Cottonwood, Sedona, Tusayan, Grand Canyon National Park, and Flagstaff. We would like to thank all our partners and the communities and attractions who hosted the group. We could not do this without your support! If you or your community would like to host an upcoming media visit (group or individual) please reach out to Kim Todd at ktodd@tourism.az.gov.

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Congrats Laura Mattox and Kira Bryson, our newest CPR/First Aid instructors!! 

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Congrats Laura Mattox and Kira Bryson, our newest CPR/First Aid instructors!! 

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Please join me in congratulating Laura Mattox of Patagonia Lake SP and Kira Bryson of Picacho Peak SP on completing their CPR/First Aid Instructor Certifications! Their abundant expertise and enthusiasm will make them wonderful instructors. And a special shout out to Tori Marshall of Red Rock SP for facilitating their training!

Stay tuned for CPR/First Aid courses instructed by Laura and Kira in the near future!

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Congratulations David Jordan on your new role with ASPT!  

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Congratulations David Jordan on your new role with ASPT!  

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Chief of Parks Operations announcement from Mark Weise!

Please help me congratulate David Jordan as ASPT's new Chief of Operations.  Although the highly qualified field of candidates made the selection process competitive, David's overall experience, motivation and energy for moving the operational needle forward contributed significantly to his selection.

David's ~25 years of professional experience in parks/rec training, management, special event planning and interpretive programming has been evident during his time at ASPT.  He has supervised and led park staff at all levels throughout his career and has played a significant role in strategic and operational efforts including his latest, albeit short tenure, as the Operations/LE Program Manager based out of the Central Office.

I'm confident that David has the skills, abilities and most importantly the true desire to make ASPT not only a great place to work and lay down your roots as a career, but also to make us the best outdoor recreation agency in the state of Arizona.

When you get a chance, send David a hearty congrats and welcome him into his new role.

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The Town of Payson recently presented a Proclamation honoring the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park for the wonderful work and economic benefit of the park and its staff. Park Manager Katie Ferguson accepted the honor at a recent council meeting.

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Without rockstar rangers like Kira at Picacho, we wouldn't be able to post engaging social media like the one about a toppled saguaro above. Media, including Yahoo, is now running the story, and we have more than 1,200 likes on Instagram alone. Marketing doesn't have the expertise or knowledge of the interesting things that happen at our parks, so rangers' help is amazing. Thank you, Kira!!

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New Cave Species Alert

Kartchner Caverns works with a variety of researchers and partners. In recent months, entomologist, Bob Pape from University of Arizona discovered a new species to Kartchner Caverns State Park!

Here is Bob's write up about the species description.

A new species of scuttle fly (family: Phoridae) was found in the cave on April 19th of this year (Image). We so far have only a single specimen, a female, which was found walking on a wet stalagmite. The wings of the female are mere rudiments  and thus the animal is flightless. It is possible (likely) that males of the species are winged. Scuttle fly species with greatly reduced wings in the female are often symbionts in colonies of social insects such as ants or termites. Termites are not a regular element of the ecology of Kartchner Caverns, but the New World army and Neivamyrmex graciellae is sporadically observed to be active in the cave. It is possible this fly is associated with the ants, but there were no ants found in proximity to the fly when it was found. These flies typically trail army ant colonies when the ants are in their nomadic phase. There may be a different ecological association, possibly with the bat guano deposits in the cave, where the fly larvae might be predatory, parasitic, or saprophagous. However, extensive sampling of the bat guano deposits over time have so far not revealed the presence of this species. The animal is just over one millimeter in length, and is somewhat smaller than most scuttle fly species. We suspect the flies are rare in the cave. This fly is the 103rd invertebrate species known to be an element of the ecology of Kartchner Caverns.

For more information about Bob Pape's research in the cave please visit https://kartchnercavernsinvertebrates.weebly.com/

Contact Cave Resource Manager, Chelsea Ballard, if you have any questions! cballard@azstateparks.gov

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For all of your help putting information in easy to access/understand formats. And because you are ALWAYS there to help. You are THE BEST! I appreciate you

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Thank you to everyone who has helped this month at Granite Mountain Hotshots MSP with media requests, extra hikers, and questions leading up to the anniversary. I appreciate everything that you do to make my job easier and share this important story!

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Wow!  Kartchner welcomed more than 200 people for a Moonlight Hike recently.  Congratulations to everyone involved in putting together a unique opportunity for so many people to participate in outdoor recreation and see a different side of the park.

- Dan Roddy

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To the Grants & Trails Crew -

I greatly appreciate all of the help and hospitality that you each showed to me during my recent expedition to Phoenix.

You made what could have been a difficult situation seamless when my state vehicle broke down.

Sincerely,

Dan

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I would like to highlight ALL of our agency's efforts related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at the upcoming Arizona Parks and Recreation Association's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Team meeting next week. If you have some successes or challenges related to DEI, please let me know no later than Wednesday, April 26. Thanks!!

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Celebrate Earthy Day! Aioli Gourmet Burgers will donate 10% to ASPT! Details below

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Celebrate Earthy Day! Aioli Gourmet Burgers will donate 10% to ASPT! Details below

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We are partnered with Aioli Gourmet Burger for an Earth Day promotion! During dinner service this Thursday (April 20), 10% of all profits will come to ASPT! So if you are in the Valley, head to one of the two locations, and tell your friends!

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Nikki Lober featured in The Pioneer Post 

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Nikki Lober featured in The Pioneer Post 

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Read about our very own Nikki Lober The Pioneer Post.

https://mailchi.mp/e31757eb21fc/naphs-marchnewsletter-plus-16837420?e=3baa824797

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Nikki Lober was born in Camden, NJ across the river from Philadelphia. Despite having a bungalow on 34th St, she was really raised in the wild Pine Barrens on Great Egg Harbor River where her family had a cabin on 21 acres.

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A highlight at Lake Havasu State Park was having Cathryn Richards in attendance for our Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on Monday.

More than a dozen volunteers were recognized for their contribution milestones.

- Dan Roddy

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Carlos captured the beauty of what is going on at Picacho Peak this week!

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Thanks to my team for their support on SCORP Implementation Planning meeting this week. Couldn't have done it without you!

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Wildflower madness at Picacho Peak State Park!

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Wildflower madness at Picacho Peak State Park!

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And this picture was taken before the sun came out and the flowers opened!

What a great opportunity to work with volunteers and rangers from Picacho Peak, Catalina, Lyman Lake, Slide Rock, Lost Dutchman, Kartchner, Tombstone and others. So many talented and passionate people are working to provide an excellent customer experience at Picacho Peak State Park.

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In February, Nikki Lober will reach 30 years working at Arizona State Parks!!!!!

Congratulations, Nikki, and thank you for your many years of service!

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Honored to celebrate 36 years with Linda and the Dead Horse crew!

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Honored to celebrate 36 years with Linda and the Dead Horse crew!

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So glad to be able to be there on Linda's last day with State Parks after 36 YEARS! A consummate professional, a team player
and grace under pressure are just some of the ways that Linda has been described over the years. Can't imagine the contact station at DEHO without her! To her next chapter!!

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Always glad to hear what is going on with the Family Campout - such an important program! Thanks Louis and team!

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Video of AMC Pollinator Habitat Tour at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

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Video of AMC Pollinator Habitat Tour at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

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Andrew Young, the Park Manager at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, invited the Arizona Monarch Collaborative to take a tour of the park and hear about the monarch and pollinator habitat they have been working to restore and improve. Check out the trip video that has been posted on the AMC website

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Central Office Team Volunteer Opportunity?

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Central Office Team Volunteer Opportunity?

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Hello all.

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in an agency volunteering effort? Organizations like Hospice of the Valley are oftentimes supported by volunteer teams (https://www.hov.org/volunteer/corporate-volunteering/) who do one time tasks or regular volunteering. Doesn't have to be this organization...I am sure there are many others worthy of our time and talent (e.g., Saint Mary's Food Bank, etc)

Your thoughts?

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Businesses giving back.

The Valley's business community can support Hospice of the Valley's mission by contributing the "people power" of its employees. We can put people to work-through one-time activities such as cleaning up and landscaping an inpatient hospice home to ongoing projects such as creating greeting cards for patients and families. Here are a few more ways businesses help us:

Special events support.

Organizing donation drives.

Sewing, knitting, and creating handmade greeting cards.

Collecting old iPods for patients to listen to music.

Providing meals and baked goods for visiting loved ones.

We are grateful to generous businesses who encourage their staff to volunteer with us on an ongoing basis. Our patients and families thank you too! For more information, call (602) 636-6336.

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The Valley's business community can support Hospice of the Valley's mission by contributing the "people power" of its employees. We can put people to work-through one-time activities such as cleaning up and landscaping an inpatient hospice home to ongoing projects such as creating greeting cards for patients and families.

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Thank you for all the food and fun Central Office peeps. You guys ROCK!!!

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Job well done by the staff and volunteers at Cattail Cove State Park for presenting the 15th edition of the Thanksgiving Pot Luck. I was thrilled to be one of about 50 people that turned out in the windy weather to enjoy the camaraderie. This event provides a feeling of home for all those in the park and surrounding community. - Dan R.

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Congratulations Jess, Nancy, Susan Carolyn, Lexi, Tony, Sam and Brea on your new certification! Your hard work is the motor that makes Parks Hummmm!

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Welcome to ASPT Deputy Director Sarah Webber!

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Welcome to ASPT Deputy Director Sarah Webber!

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Welcome Jennifer Woodrum to the Information Technology team

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Welcome Jennifer Woodrum to the Information Technology team

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Hello all,

I’m pleased to announce that Jennifer Woodrum has joined the IT team as the Project Coordinator, effective today. She joins us from Kartchner Caverns SP where she worked for 9 years, most recently as the Assistant Park Manager/Cave Unit Supervisor. Jennifer will support the Recreation Dynamics systems; troubleshooting issues, assisting in development of standardized park policy & procedures related to the reservation system and rolling out new functionality.

We’re super excited to have Jennifer on the team.  Please join me in giving a very warm welcome to Jennifer in her new role.

Best Regards,

Linda
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Linda Colwell
IT and Operations Systems Manager
Arizona State Parks & Trails

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A big thanks to everyone who contributed to the SCORP effort. There is no way we would be where we are or have the product that we now have without the help of:

Grants and Trails - Mickey Rogers, Jeff Schmidt and Matt Eberhart, for all the work, meetings, reviewing and spreading the word.

Office of Continuous Improvement - Bonnie Sposato & Katharine Schinzel - for your direction and expertise throughout every aspect of this process.

Marketing & Communications - everybody played a role here. Without their outreach and expertise, this effort would not have been successful. Thanks to Michelle for directing all of our M&C efforts.

Fiscal Services - for helping to make sure all invoices are paid in a timely manner - and that we are accurately reimbursed by grant funds.

Brittany Hudson - for helping to reach out to tribes, legislators and the Governor's Office.

To everyone else who helped. Thank you all!

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Thanks to the 8 park managers who provided feedback on the Park Manager Dossier. A team of park and regional managers have met to discuss the feedback. Stay tuned to see how your issues are being addressed and thanks for your participation!

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I had the pleasure of visiting TNBSP on Tuesday for the first time in several years.  The crew there is doing amazing work and the Tuesday Volunteer Group is something to envy. Congrats to Team Tonto!
-Dan Roddy

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Established in 1994 and held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, National Public Lands Day is traditionally the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort. It celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefits. This year, National Public Lands Day falls on September 24, 2022.

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Welcome Jannika Pitner, ASPT's new Learning Program Coordinator!

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Welcome Jannika Pitner, ASPT's new Learning Program Coordinator!

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After this stay I made the comment I will only stay at state parks from now on. The site was beautiful, shade was abundant, facilities were immaculate. The staff started our perfect stay by including our younger campers and getting them excited about the Jr Park Ranger Program. The staff was so helpful and friendly it was such an enjoyable stay. Thank you to all of them.

- Cattail Cove Visitor, 7/3/2022

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Proud of the rangers who went through 32 grueling hours to earn their NAI CIG. Congratulations Certified Interpretive Guides!

Sharon Maurer
Kristin Brown
Mike Deleon
Joseph Federico
Rachelle Rentschler
Sydnee Dreyer
Cody Sumner
Brittni Koski

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Cathryn had (what I think) is a great idea!

Perhaps we can choose a day, once a month when as many people make it into the office as possible. We can arrange to do some business, maybe have a potluck lunch, eat together, talk to each other, ask some burning questions...

I don't think that attendance would have to be mandatory...but could be helpful in making and/or keeping bonds tight in the Central Office.

What are YOUR thoughts or ideas?

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Good afternoon,

Please join me in welcoming Charles (Charlie) Stevens to the Arizona State Parks & Trails Procurement Team.  Charlie joined our Parks family on June 15th as a Procurement Specialist and he brings over 7 years of procurement knowledge and procurement compliance knowledge to the team.

Charlie comes from the ADOA SPO Compliance Team and will be working on updating our Procurement Policies and Procedures as well as contract management and placing orders.

Charlie will also be spearheading our Procurement Compliance Review which is quickly approaching in August.  The Procurement Compliance Review is conducted by the SPO Compliance unit to focus on our agency's ability to properly exercise procurement authority in accordance with the Arizona Procurement Code, Executive Orders, Technical Bulletins, Standard Procedures, and Delegated Procurement Authority.

On behalf of Arizona State Parks and Trails, welcome to the team Charlie!

Thank you,

Eleda Greenfield

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Hi all,

On behalf of Arizona State Parks and Trails Computer Support, it is our pleasure to welcome Woodrow "Woody" Gresko as the new IT Systems Administrator.

Woody has more than 14 years of professional experience in IT working mostly at Grand Canyon University (GCU). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering Technology from DeVry University.  His first day was Monday, June 20th.

Woody has broad experience in desktop support and administrative management specializing in Mac computers.  Woody's skill set and experience indicates he will be able to contribute to our agency immediately and he will nicely fill in several areas of immediate need in our Work Unit.

Thanks for joining me in welcoming our new employee, Woody to the team.

Regards,

Vince Schiavitti
Sr. Systems Administrator

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Please join me in congratulating Kyle Hague for his promotion to Brand & Product Manager.

While Kyle has been with ASPT for almost four years he brings with him over twenty years of retail store operations and management experience.

He has excellent experience working with wholesale vendors, product branding (he currently designs most of our items), and product selection.

He understands the different demographics reflected by the various types of State Parks in order to enable the correct product blend for a varied customer base.

His experience in inventory control will complement the implementation of our new inventory control system that will be in place soon.

- Tom Allen

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Sometimes you work with people that make work so fun, that it doesn't feel like work anymore. Thanks to Neil & Elisabeth for being those people! Your positivity, openness and enthusiasm are infectious!! What a treat to be on the same team as you!

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Miss Treasure Begins Journey to Service Dog

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Miss Treasure Begins Journey to Service Dog

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Welcome Miss Treasure - Future Assistance  Dog....Being raised by Bonnie, she will be learning her manners and obedience for a year in AZ before moving on to "college" for specific training for service dog work

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I wish all volunteers, park rangers, and managers and visitor to your parks a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend, while we honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.